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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29187012">Happier</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/youarewhatyoulove/pseuds/youarewhatyoulove'>youarewhatyoulove</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pretty Little Liars</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Based on an Ed Sheeran Song, F/M, Song Lyrics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 14:00:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,304</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29187012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/youarewhatyoulove/pseuds/youarewhatyoulove</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Spencer loved Toby, no matter the fact that Toby no longer loves her. And if he was happier? That was all she needed to know to accept him loving another girl.“</p><p>a pll fanfiction based on the Ed Sheeran song “happier.” </p><p>takes place after the time jump</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Spoby - Relationship, Toby Cavanaugh/Spencer Hastings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Happier</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>based upon the song Happier by Ed Sheeran.</p><p>this is probably my favorite thing i’ve ever wrote so i hope you enjoy it! :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Walking down 29th and park<br/>
I saw you in another’s arms<br/>
Only a month we’ve been apart<br/>
You look happier”</p><p>Toby has a fiancé. The sheer velocity of the revaluation sends a light bolt of feeling through Spencer’s body. A feeling she can’t describe- anger, jealousy, longing? Toby and her are broken up and have been for a very long time. Such a feeling of longing should not shatter her to the core. No, Spencer is perfectly okay with Toby moving on. Hasn’t she moved on too? Yvonne’s got long dark brown hair, tan skin and a perfect smile. She’s perfect for him and he’s perfect for her. They are happy together.</p><p>Speak of the devil.</p><p>Just the sound of his voice sends Spencer’s heart into an irregular wave of despair but there is a female counterpart who beckons responses to his witty jokes with small laughs and provides clever comebacks to his silver tongue. She hears their voices before she spots their bodies who round the corner- she takes special notice of their hands intertwined. </p><p>Spencer stops to make small talk with the couple. She offers polite smiles and a warm welcoming, not allowing the bitterness rising with her gut to overcome. Yvonne is nice and funny and intelligent. Just as Spencer fears, Yvonne is perfect. The conversation is quick and soon the couple is happily walking through the streets of Rosewood once more. Spencer took notice of Toby’s smiles towards his fiancé and the look of pure love that shined bright in Toby’s eyes as he watched Yvonne. He truly looks happier.<br/>
—————-<br/>
“Saw you walk inside a bar<br/>
She said something to make you laugh<br/>
I saw that both your smiles were twice as wide as ours.<br/>
Yeah, you look happier, you do”</p><p>The bartender slid Spencer her third drink of the night across the shiny counter. The lightness of the drinks was beginning to kick in as Spencer glanced down at her outfit. She was wearing a dark, violet dress which was wrinkled; her hair was becoming frizzy from the curly iron- and her makeup was smudging. She was a mess and she knew it. Not even her favorite drinks could tranquil her wild thoughts. To make matters worse? Toby and his fiancé had just walked in. </p><p>Spencer wanted to disappear when she took notice of the young couple sitting across the room. She didn’t want any one to see her in this state of condition...let alone her ex boyfriend and his fiancé. Her unsteady manner was carefully matched by wide smiles and loud laughs coming from Toby and Yvonne.  At least with Yvonne, the drama of masked stalkers and threatening texts weren’t glomming around the corner. Yvonne was making him ten times happier than Spencer would ever be able to make him at this state of becoming unhinged. Toby’s smile was the largest she has seen it in years.<br/>
—————-<br/>
“Ain’t nobody hurt you like I hurt you<br/>
But ain’t nobody love you like I do<br/>
Promise that I will not take it personal if you’re moving on with someone new”</p><p>Spencer and Toby’s pictures of our futures were dramatically different. Spencer wanted to focus on school and postpone making a family until later (or maybe never) but Toby wanted the classic, American, white-picket fence, huge family dream. Their dreams for the future clashed too roughly and would not budge. Spencer and Toby had been so similar for so long, until one day, just as the seasons change, they just weren’t. </p><p>Spencer knows...she knows that him moving on so quickly is nothing against her. She knows it isn’t fair for her to take his change of heart so personal. She knows people fall out of love. She knows people fall into love with new people easily but that doesn’t mean they forget about their past loves. Yet, Spencer still feels a sort of betrayal when she sees him with Yvonne. It’s an unidentifiable feeling that starts in the pit of her stomach and spreads through her body. Through the tips of her fingers to the ends of toes. The feeling over takes her until she feels as if she is suffocating. She wasn’t so desperately to identify the feeling. Is it jealously? Anger? Annoyed? Love? No, it could not possibly be love.<br/>
—————-<br/>
“Sat on the corner of the room<br/>
Everything’s reminding me of you<br/>
Nursing an empty bottle and telling myself you’re happier aren’t you”</p><p>A familiar scent struck Spencer’s nose as she set at a stool in the Radley. Her mind racked through the library of scents Spencer has stored in her brain. What could that scent possible be? Him. The realization hit her like a lighting strike. The scent was the same cologne Toby used when they were together. Across the bar, Spencer took notice of a young man who looked eerily similar to Toby Cavanaugh. Everything down from the hair cut, the clothing and face structure looked like him. Five seats down from Spencer was a girl drinking Diet Pepsi. Toby’s favorite kind of soda. The song on the radio booming softly through out the bar even triggered painful, past memories.</p><p>Spencer wanted to collapse. Everything reminding Spencer of Toby made her break. The water came rushing over her and she felt as if she was drowning. She knew that she couldn’t keep on living like this. The simplest of things couldn’t remind her of her once boyfriend. Spencer needed to break loose of the ties Toby had cast upon her- for her own personal sanity. Holding on to all of these qualities was only killing her. The only thing keeping Spencer afloat from getting lost at sea? Knowing Toby was much happier with Yvonne. His happiness? That was all that mattered to her.<br/>
——————<br/>
“Ain’t nobody hurt you like I hurt you<br/>
but ain’t nobody need you like I do<br/>
I know that there’s others that deserve you<br/>
But my darling I am still in love with you”</p><p>She still loves him</p><p>The realization hits her like a truck. Spencer Hastings still loves Toby Cavanaugh. She loves the way he understands her like no one else can. She loves the way he is so damaged yet so kind. She loves the way he allows for her to be imperfect. She loves everything about him. The feeling that has been unidentifiable for so long has finally made sense to her. The feeling is love. Spencer guesses that the feeling was so unrecognizable because she hadn’t felt true love since Toby. Caleb, Marco or any other guy she had had a one night fling with in the past never measured up. </p><p>She loves him, but it was too late to get him back.<br/>
—————-<br/>
“Baby, you look happier, you do<br/>
I knew one day you’d fall for someone new<br/>
But if she breaks your heart like lovers do, know that I’ll be waiting here for you.”</p><p>Spencer needed for Toby to know she still loves him. Whatever the way, she needed him to understand her longing for him. Spencer knew Toby had moved on and she knew he was much happier with Yvonne than he was with Spencer. Yet, Spencer couldn’t shake the feeling of unhappiness. No matter how hard she tried to have fun. Toby may have been happier but she certainty was not. </p><p>The plan? Spencer was going to wait for Toby. The wait may be long and it may be painful, but she needed to wait for him. Being with Toby? It was one of the few necessities Spencer needed to live. Spencer loved Toby, no matter the fact that Toby no longer loves her. And if he was happier? That was all she needed to know to accept him loving another girl.</p><p>Toby was happier which made all the pain of unrequited love worth it.</p>
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